1. Field of invention
The present invention pertains to paintball guns and more particularly to a gas holding chamber for use with CO.sub.2, nitrogen or compressed air powered paintball guns that replaces an existing bolt.
2. Background
Today's high tech paintball guns generally run off of CO.sub.2, nitrogen or compressed air as a power source. These power sources require a specific volume of gas or a specific pressure of gas to fire the paintball at the correct velocity. You can use one or the other. Most paintball guns use the higher pressure/low volume method to shoot a paintball. Then, a few years ago, miniature pressure regulators became available for use on paintball guns allowing players to use a lower pressure gas to fire the paintball, thus relying on more volume of air to fire the paintball. But, the pressure never got below 500 psi into the air chamber of the paintball gun because valves at that time were not built for efficiency at lower pressures. At the same time paintball pressure regulators became available on the market, manufacturers and after-market customizers shortened the paintball guns to reduce weight by cutting off part of the air chamber, thus reducing the amount of stored gas. At that time there was no problem caused by reducing the length of the chamber because high pressure/low volume was being used. But as the newer, more gas efficient air valves that operate on a lower pressure/high volume (ranging from 100 psi to 400 psi) started to become available, the lack of air-chamber space has caused the paintball guns not to be able to shoot the paintball at the proper velocity using a lower pressure/high volume setting less than 500 psi.
What is needed is a reservoir chamber that bolts onto the the paintball gun through an existing bolt hole into the air chamber of the paintball gun thus increasing the chamber's volume capacity to allow paintball guns to use the more efficient low pressure/high volume air valves. The chamber should not significantly increase the weight or change the balance of the paintball gun and work without modifying the paintball gun by drilling out the air chambers. The air chamber needs to allow air to rush from the reservoir more rapidly through a straight-line passage to the valve; unlike the previous mounting bolt that allows air to enter the gun 90 degrees from the valve and pass through a small hole in the front mounting block bolt thus restricting air flow.